Inclusive education in Spain: how do skills, resources, and supports affect regular education teachers’ perceptions of inclusion?

This study examined regular education teachers’ perceptions of inclusion in elementary and secondary schools in Spain and how these perceptions may differ depending on teaching experience, skills, and the availability of resources and supports. Stratified random sampling procedures were used to draw a representative sample of 336 general education teachers (68 kindergarten, 133 elementary, and 135 secondary teachers) from the province of Alicante. The results indicated the acceptance of the principles of inclusion, although teacher skills, time, material resources, and personal supports for inclusion were deemed insufficient. Kindergarten and elementary teachers showed more positive perceptions of inclusion than secondary education teachers, and so did teachers with more personal supports and material resources than those with less supports and resources. The results are discussed in terms of its implications for practice in order to promote more inclusive classrooms in Spain.

The use of corpora as translation resources: A study based on a survey of Spanish professional translators

The aim of this paper is to describe the use that professional translators make of corpora as translation resources. First, we briefly review the literature on translation practitioners’ use of corpora in the contexts of both translation training and professional translation. Then we present our survey-based study, analyse the uptake of corpora among Spanish translators and describe the use of this kind of translation resource. The results show that even if corpora are not as frequently used as other kinds of resources, such as dictionaries, there are professional translators who do use corpora, in a variety of ways, in their work. Additionally, non-users do not seem entirely sceptical about corpora. Against that backdrop, translator trainers are invited to continue to report on how corpora can be used as translation resources.

Teachers’ Use of Inclusive Practices in Spain

The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which teachers use inclusive practices to respond to students’ special needs in their classrooms and to determine whether grade level taught, training, and availability of resources and support affect the implementation of these practices. A research survey was designed for this purpose with the participation of a representative sample of 336 general education teachers (68 kindergarten, 133 elementary, and 135 secondary education teachers) in the province of Alicante, Spain. Findings reflected a moderate use of inclusive practices, with teachers more frequently implementing general adaptations rather than substantial ones. Statistically significant differences in use of inclusive practices were found as a function of the grade level taught, training received, and availability of material resources. Results are discussed in terms of their implication for teacher education reform and training programs.

Evaluating Taphonomic Bias in a Storm-Disturbed Carbonate Platform: Effects of Compositional and Environmental Factors in Lower Jurassic Brachiopod Accumulations (Eastern Subbetic Basin, Spain)

In order to evaluate taxonomic and environmental control on the preservation pattern of brachiopod accumulations, sedimentologic and taphonomic data have been integrated with those inferred from the structure of brachiopod accumulations from the easternmost Lower Jurassic Subbetic deposits in Spain. Two brachiopod communities (Praesphaeroidothyris and Securina communities) were distinguished showing a mainly free-lying way of life in soft-bottom habitats. Three taphofacies are discriminated based on proportion of disarticulation, fragmentation, packing, and shell filling. Taphofacies 1 is represented by thinly fragmented, dispersed brachiopod shells in wackestone beds. Taphofacies 2 is spatially restricted to small lenses where shells are poorly fragmented, rarely disarticulated, usually void filled, and highly packed. Taphofacies 3 is represented by mud or cement filled, loosely packed, articulated brachiopods forming large pocket-like structures. Temporal and spatial averaging were minimally involved in taphofacies 2 and 3. It is interpreted that patchy preservation implies preservation of primary original patchiness of brachiopod communities on the seafloor. The origin of shell-rich taphofacies (2 and 3) is related to rapid burial due to episodic storm activity, while shell-poor taphofacies 1 records background conditions. The nature and comparative diversity of these taphofacies underscores the importance of rapid burial for shell beds preservation. Differences in preservation between taphofacies 2 and 3 are mainly related to environmental criteria, most importantly storm energy and water depth. In contrast, the taxonomic-specific pattern of the communities is a subordinate element of control, controlling only minor within-taphofacies differences in preservation.

Detailing for a research centre in Antarctica: An experiment to force students to be creative instead of copying standard solutions

In order to equip architecture students with ambitious detail designing ability, related courses of the architecture programs should deal with subjects which are rather rare and unusual for real life practices in order to prevent students copying standard details. In 2015 an innovative project brief has been given to architecture students of Istanbul Technical University. The scenario given in the brief is to design a research station for the first group of Turkish scientist, to be built in one of the coldest and most arid regions on earth; the Antarctica. The performance requirements given in the brief were determined to prevent the students from copying details from any kind of resources as the total number of details generated in real life for those conditions are very limited and specific. The method used has demonstrated a great success and creative detail solutions were generated by the students. In the paper, the innovative coursework brief for bettering the detail design ability of architecture students is explained and the output of the studio is presented.